Architects selected to renovate Hotel Bossert in Heights

Architects selected to renovate Hotel Bossert in Heights

Compiled by Linda Collins

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman + Associates Architects (GSKA) has been selected to preserve and return the historic Hotel Bossert to its original use as a luxury hotel destination.

As the Eagle has reported, the landmark at 98 Montague St., which had been privately owned and operated by The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, was acquired by developer David Bistricer and his firm Clipper Equity. That developer selected GSKA.

GSKA’s proposed plan for the hotel is to preserve the iconic façade as well as the magnificently ornate and restored lobby and reception area and to return the famed Marine Roof to its use as a restaurant and lounge, according to Gene Kaufman, principal at GSKA and the leader of the project team with Steven Forman.

Additionally, the building’s mechanical and HVAC systems will be upgraded to allow “hundreds of windows to be cleared of air-conditioning units, restoring the authenticity of the façade.”

The plan, which includes approximately 300 hotel rooms, also involves detailed upgrading of the lighting, finishes, flooring, fixtures and furnishings in the public areas and the individual rooms.

The layouts of the guestroom floors will also be reconfigured to create luxurious hotel rooms and suites and under-utilized back-of-house space will be reclaimed and redesigned as a lobby-level destination restaurant.

Asked if there would be a problem in working around the long-term existingtenants in the building, Kaufman replied, “Our plans will, of course, be sensitive to their presence and ongoing needs, but because this is a subtle renovation plan and there are no major structural or systems upgrades required that would impact them, we do not anticipate any issues as we move forward."

Said Robert Siegel, one of the architectural firm’s founders, “The Hotel Bossert is an incredible piece of Brooklyn and New York City history and we are delighted to have the opportunity to return it to its former glory.”